All Rise...

Editor's Note

The Charge

"You're discharged, Sarge."

Opening Statement

One of the all-time great excursions into early '90s bombast hits Blu-ray and
fans of ultra-violent movies about ripped action icons from a decade-and-a-half
ago talking trash and tossing each other into farm combines will not be
disappointed.

Facts of the Case

When Luc Devreaux (Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bloodsport) finds Sergeant
Andrew Scott (Dolph Lundgren, Masters of the Universe) torturing
innocents during the Vietnam War, this begins a lifelong adversarial
relationship that temporarily culminates in both men nearly killing each
other—and ultimately transitions into godless science project. Devreaux
and Scott are regenerated and enrolled in a top-secret military detachment of
"Unisols," elite, super-powered, emotionless killing machines that are
built specifically to follow orders and shoot bad guys in the eyeballs.

When both men gradually regain their memories, @#$% hits the fan and things
start exploding. With a supremely irritating female reporter by his side,
Devreaux embarks on a journey of self-discovery, with Scott in hot pursuit,
tossing grenades willy-nilly.

The Evidence

Terrific sci-fi action movie from the hard-R days of beat'em up yore. I wager
this is both Lundgren's and Van Damme's best effort—action-packed, funny,
surprisingly well-staged despite its comparatively paltry $20 million budget and
sporting more than a share of classic moments.

"Where is he?"

"Around."

Fantastic!

Released in the Mario Kassar days of high adventure when an action movie
refused to shy away from brains splattered on the wall and hypodermic needles
being shoved with great prejudice through someone's cheek Universal
Soldier pitted two up-and-coming mid-level smackdown stars against each
other in a fun, far-out adventure spanning flyover country. Action set-pieces
involve the opening Hoover Dam assault, featuring an objectively cool rappel
down the face of the dam, a huge chase between the futuristic Unisol super-truck
and a prison bus across the Grand Canyon and, last but certainly not least, the
one-on-one bout between Devreaux and Scott that had been built up to the entire
film, culminating in one of my all-time Final Bad Guy Death Scenes and sporting
not one but two awesome one-liners.

Van Damme and Lundgren are both pretty good in this. Obviously neither is
known as world-class thespians, but these roles are perfectly suited towards
their limited abilities. As the psycho antagonist, Lundgren obviously has some
fun hamming it up, talking trash, taunting his opponents, wearing a necklace of
plastic ears around his neck. Van Damme, who was obviously still grappling with
the mastery of the English language, is given a character that speaks in brief,
deadpan sentences, reminiscent of Schwarzenegger's Terminator. It suits him, and
he too has fun with it.

Universal Soldier is all about supplying a healthy dose of 'roid rage
on film and what these guys were able to produce with a limited budget stands as
an enduring testament to what a group of like-minded pyromaniacs can put
together.

As for the Blu-ray, as much as I harbor a playful resentment towards
Lionsgate for subjecting us to a seemingly endless stream of mediocre,
straight-to-DVD horror films, I'll give them this much: they know how to put out
a high-def disc. Universal Solder looks sublime, boasting a remarkably
clean 2.35:1 widescreen treatment that competes even with new releases in its
visual fidelity. The detailing really stands out, especially in the wide shots
of the Grand Canyon and the Hoover Dam and the multiple explosions and vehicular
carnage. This is simply a marvelous looking catalog release. The 5.1 DTS HD
master audio track is expectedly aggressive, shining particularly in the
big-bang action sequences. Extras: an "Out of the Blu" pop up trivia
track, commentary with the director, writer and cast, two featurettes on the
making-of the film and its two stars and an alternate ending.

Closing Statement

A kick-ass red-meat actioner that's become a rarity these days receives a
killer high-def technical presentation. Worth the upgrade for fans.